Tag Archives: cultural differences

There’s a whole line of sociology about getting perspective on the good and bad parts of your own culture only after you have traveled elsewhere and seen a different way to approach something.

After spending the better part of the last four years outside USA, a huge takeaway for me is that violence is a deeply-engrained part of American culture, so much that it’s a part of 18 everyday phrases (see the examples below). But I’ve also learned that it’s not necessary; everywhere in the world is not this way. There is another way to live!

Violence in the media

I stopped watching the news in USA long ago because the entire broadcast comprised stories about violence – murders, school shootings, fires, fights – and finished with a sweet little 2 minute spot with a feel-good story. Not just here and there, but every single night. I was over it – completely sick and tired of having such negativity in my life by way of the television.

Violence is not necessary

Hey newsflash, America! You know what’s NOT happening on a daily basis everywhere in the world? Pointless deaths due to gun violence, gun accidents, gun miseducation, inadequate screening for weapon ownership, or whatever you want to call it. People don’t come out of the womb wanting to kill people. People aren’t born as racists. They learn it from the society they live in, and then it is fostered and supported by their society’s laws and policies.

Thankful to get out

I’m so glad I now live in a place where people literally gasp in horror when they hear stories about the depravity in USA, because it is so far from what they know about respect for life and the treatment of other human beings.

Violence engrained in American English language

I thought I was far enough away that I didn’t really have to think about violent USA anymore, but it actually started coming back in my thoughts through language, of all things.

When you live abroad and use a foreign language or two as your daily communication, you often find yourself searching through the Rolodex of words flying around in your head in multiple languages. Often times what comes up are sayings – phrases that actually have no (or hard-to-see) relevance when directly translated. Lately I’ve realised that WAY too many times I’m pulling forward sayings that use death and violence nonchalantly, and frankly it is embarrassing! I’m ashamed that such phrases are in my top-of-mind vocabulary.

What kind of society is USA if daily language talks about death or killing? No wonder there’s so much violence and depravity in that country – it’s completely the norm! It’s so normal it’s mainstream.

Here are 19 American English slang sayings that normalize death, killing, and violence in general. Do you use any of these? Have you ever thought twice about what you’re actually saying?

“Killer” to mean either really cool or really hard

“To die for” to indicate that something is highly desired or high quality

“Start with a bang” to say something had an impressive beginning

“Kill me now / Shoot me now” to express boredom or displeasure

“I wanted to die” to express boredom, displeasure, or embarrassment

“[My legs are] dead” to say you’re exhausted and totally out of energy

“My parents are going to kill me” to mean you’re anticipating being in big trouble

“Like I need a hole in the head” to indicate something is unnecessary or undesired

“Making a killing on” to say you earned a lot of money from something

“I would kill for” to express an extreme longing/wishing feeling for something

“Don’t shoot the messenger” to ask to be excused from fault

“I’m dying” to say something is hilarious

“On my deathbed” to exaggerate a feeling of illness.

“Kill time” to say how to spend a certain amount of minutes or hours until something else happens.

“Trigger happy” to say someone makes quick decisions or simply does things on a whim without thinking them through.

“There was a gun to my head” to express being coerced into something against one’s will.

“Shooting himself in the foot” to mean someone does something that is not in his best interest and ruins things for himself.

“Could die a happy woman/man now” to mean something was so perfect and wonderful that they don’t need anything more in life.

“Backfired”, usually with reference to a plan, to say something went completely in the opposite direction it was supposed to.